Return of the Mare

by Victoria

Part I - Chapter 1: The Discovery

Part I

Chapter 1: The Discovery.

A group of nine tired ponies was struggling through the wild forest. They were surrounded by tall trees and there wasn’t any clear path, so they had to cut right through the bushes to reach their goal. The weather was quite unpredictable for they were traveling far beyond of Equestria. At least, it wasn’t raining yet, despite the heavy gray clouds hanging overhead.

Controlling the weather was a job for a whole weather team. The only two pegasi in the team, however, couldn’t do a thing about that. They were struggling to keep up with the others while walking on hoof, carrying loads of supplies on their backs, just like everypony else.

The unicorns weren’t faring any better. In fact, they seemed even more exhausted than the rest. Even the earth ponies, which were most numerous in the expedition, looked winded by their long journey.

The sun was nearing the horizon and soon would be setting, but it was already dark on the ground, under the canopy. Each pony had a band over their head with an enchanted glowing gem attached to it, allowing them to see their steps.

“We’re getting close,” said the earth pony in the lead, a stallion named Nightfall Shade.

The name went well with his appearance. The earth pony's dark blue coat and coal-black mane gave him a somber look. The fact that he was the leader of their expedition also added to that impression.

After hearing his words, the group perked up a little. They had been walking for a while now and wished to rest, but their leader kept pushing them forth. Hopefully, the expedition would reach their destination soon.

“What do you suppose got him so worked up, Bright?” asked a yellow unicorn mare to her partner in misery, the only other unicorn in their little group. Her blue mane with a streak of purple fluttered in the light breeze.

“He’s been looking for this place a long time, Sundae,” Bright scolded her. “It’s no wonder he wants to be there as soon as possible.”

“Right...” nodded the mare. What else could she expect from Morning Bright, Nightfall Shade’s personal student. He had been his loyal follower for years, so her complaints were falling on deaf ears with this unicorn. He would probably even share the Doctor’s eagerness, but he lacked the endurance of an earth pony.

Bright wasn’t very athletic even by the unicorn standards. He was rather skinny under his white coat. The pony’s short styled mane and tail were a dullish brown. But his impressive magical abilities compensated for his lack of physical strength. It wasn’t helping him now, though.

Despite feeling deadly tired herself, Sundae accelerated her pace to catch up with ponies in the lead. One of them was her close friend, Blue Ruby. She was an earth pony of the same age as Sundae. Her shiny azure coat was the same pleasing color as the sky itself. Sundae wanted to talk with her a little about the Doctor’s behavior.

“Ruby, slow down a little, I wanna talk,” Sundae said as she approached her friend.

“Uhh, okay”, they both made their way to the group’s tail to talk more privately. “What do you wanna talk about, Sunny?”

“Don’t you think the Doctor is pushing us too hard? I’m excited to explore the ruins myself, of course, but why can’t we have some rest already?” Sundae complained.

“Why don’t you ask the Doctor himself?” Ruby smirked.

“We don’t get along that well, you know that…” admitted the unicorn, “Can you talk to him instead?”

“Oh, but I already tried a few hours ago. He just told me to ‘toughen up’.”

“But can’t he see that we’re all too tired to continue today?”, Sundae asked, shaking her head in disappointment.

“I don’t think he cares,” Ruby stopped to give her friend a quick hug, “Listen, Sunny, I know you’re tired, but just keep up a little longer, okay? The pegasi have seen that the ruins are not far away anymore.”

“Okay…” Sundae pouted, “I’ll do my best.”

They both walked together in silence after that.

***

“We’re here, everypony,” an excited exclamation from the head of the group woke Sundae up from her trance.

She searched for the sound’s source and saw a green pegasus hovering above the ground with a happy expression on his face. She recognized him as Soft Breeze. He had always been an optimistic pony. Sundae nodded to Ruby and together they accelerated to a trot, reaching the ruins at the same time.

The ruins were…fascinating. It wasn’t something Sundae had expected to see. The expedition followed a lead that suggested it was an old lab of Starswirl the Bearded’s, but it clearly was something more. He was the greatest mage Equestria had ever known, but unless he was also a master-builder, he wasn’t the one to build this place, Sundae thought. It looked more like a small fortress.

She wasn’t even sure they could be called “ruins”. Despite being old, everything was in a good condition. The wide outer walls were still mostly standing, despite their obvious age, though Sundae could see a few cracks. They were untouched by vegetation, like they’d been protected by some kind of magic. Lighting up her horn, the mare cast a quick magic detection spell and confirmed her theory.

“Oh…” Sundae suddenly felt lightheaded. Apparently, she was more tired than she had realized. In her usual condition, the mare could cast much more powerful spells and not even blink, but right now she was beat.

“Are you alright?” Ruby asked, putting her foreleg on Sundae’s back.

“Yeah, just a little tired, I guess.”

“A little? Come on, even I can barely stand!” smiled Ruby encouragingly. “It’s okay to feel like that.”

Sundae just answered with a nod. Putting a magical examination of the ruins on her to-do list for tomorrow, she walked through the archway where the gate should have been. There was no sign of it now.

Sundae found herself in the yard, where the rest of their little group were already setting up the tents. The ground was covered in evenly cut plates of stone. Not a single sprout of grass had managed to grow through for all these years. She decided it was probably the same enchantment as on the walls, while slowly stepping on them.

The main building stood in the middle of the yard, surrounded by walls from all sides. It was a grand and heavy construction, made out of gray stone. The building reminded Sundae of a big box. It certainly wasn’t an architectural marvel, but it looked pretty solid. And considering its age – it was. There weren’t any windows, just the big gate at the front with the stairs leading to it. The gate was closed, but that was a problem for tomorrow.

Sundae dropped her heavy saddlebags on the ground and fell on her back with a moan. She didn’t care how she would look to a random observer – her back was aching. The pony rolled on a stone plate a few times and then stretched herself, making a series of popping sounds.

“You do know you look silly right now?” Ruby approached her with a grin.

“I know, but I don’t really care at this point,” Sundae met her gaze with a tired grin of her own. “I’m just happy to lie down at last. Even my hooves are aching!”

“I know what you mean,” her friend dropped her bags and lowered them next to Sunny. “But we’re finally here, after months of searching. How about that?”

“It’s great, but I honestly couldn’t care less right now,” Sundae said, yawning. “All I need is just a nice soft bed and I’d be the happiest mare in Equestria.”

“I like your idea,” Ruby laughed. “But let’s settle for something more rural for now. Come on, we need to set up a tent. You wouldn’t want to be sleeping out in the cold, would you?”

Sundae opened her mouth, but the earth pony interrupted her before she could say a word.

“I know, I know, you don’t care and you totally would. You’d be a cave pony at this point if it weren’t for me.” Ruby scratched her chin, like she was a pet already.

“Hey, I can take care of myself just fine…” Sundae said, batting her friend’s hoof away.

“Sure, Sunny, I totally bought it,” Ruby nodded with a solemn expression. She kept it for a few seconds and then chuckled. “Anyway, I’ll set up a tent for us both.”

“I can help,” Sundae rolled on her belly and made an attempt to stand up, but Ruby gently lay her hoof on her.

“It’s no trouble for me, don’t you worry.”

The unicorn flicked her ears and sighed. She didn’t like feeling dependent on others. But she still appreciated Ruby’s help.

“Thank you, Ruby.” Sundae mumbled.

She started working at once, while Sunny just lay there, lazily looking around. The camp was mostly set up and somepony had already prepared a camp fire. One of the pegasi, the optimistic Breeze, made a short trip outside the walls and returned with a bunch of dry wooden sticks.

“Can I get your attention, everypony?” the loud and authoritative voice suddenly broke the silence. All work stopped immediately and ponies turned their gaze to the dark blue earth pony, standing by the fire.

“After the long journey, we’re finally here today…” Nightfall Shade started his speech. He went on and on for a while about the importance of their discovery for Equestria and stuff like that, but Sundae felt her attention drifting away.

She had almost fallen asleep, when she was suddenly jerked awake by somepony pushing her in the shoulder.

“Hey, Sundae, pay attention,” the mare looked up to see Morning Bright standing over her. She noticed that his white coat had been really muddy. He could really use a shower, thought Sundae to herself. On the other hoof, she was sure that her own appearance was no better.

“You’re clearly out of it,” continued Bright slightly frowning his muzzle. “I need you at your best tomorrow, so try to rest, okay?”

“That’s exactly what I’m planning to do now, thanks for your concern,” Sundae answered a little snappily. Bright just silently nodded and returned to his own tent. The pony watched him leave in silence.

The two unicorns were the only magical experts on the expedition. Despite both of them being of the same age, Morning Bright understood magic much better than Sundae. She looked at his flank and studied the cutie mark. It pictured sunrays shining over some hills. Like a sunrise in the morning, when Celestia had not yet raised it over the horizon.

It probably meant that Bright was good at magic. Sundae never asked what exactly his special talent was. They weren’t on the best terms with each other. She had no quarrel with him personally, but he was Nightfall Shade’s protégé. That earth pony hated Sundae’s guts and she preferred to have as little interaction with him as possible with him being the leader and all.

Sundae turned her head to see her own cutie mark of an old-style vase. She got it when she had found exactly the same vase in the basement of an abandoned building. Her special talent was in searching old stuff, she had always figured.

That line of thought got her thinking about her home in Manehattan. She hadn’t been there for a few years now. Sundae wondered how her parents were doing now. The pony didn’t notice herself falling asleep right there, on the cold stone plates of the laboratory’s yard.

***

“Rise and shine, sweetie!” the loud and obnoxious voice of Ruby destroyed the nice dream Sundae was having.

“Shut up,” she folded her ears to block the annoying sound.

“It’s time to work,” Ruby continued unperturbed. “Bright sent me to wake you up.”

Sundae opened her eyes reluctantly. She was inside the small tent. A second mattress beside the unicorn suggested the other pony had been sleeping there with her. But her friend had obviously already woken up earlier as she stood at the exit with a big grin.

“You totally fell asleep outside! Just as I was expecting!” Ruby exclaimed, “I had to drag your heavy booty in here with my own hooves!”

“I’m not heavy,” Sunny protested. Ruby just winked in answer.

Sundae slowly rose on all fours and stretched herself, clearing her body from a sleepy stiffness. She trotted outside, brushing past her earth pony friend.

It was early in the morning and Celestia had just raised the sun. Everypony else in the camp was still sleeping, except for the Doctor and his protégé, who were discussing something by the central structure’s gate.

Sundae frowned in displeasure. She had no desire to talk with the Doctor, but Bright needed her for something, so she had no choice. With a resigned sigh, the mare headed in their direction. Ruby trotted by her side without a word, for which Sunny gave her a grateful nod.

The two ponies stopped talking as the mares approached them. The Doctor looked at Sundae with narrow eyes, but said nothing. Morning Bright stepped in front of him:

“We’re going to open the gate, but first we have to make sure there aren’t any magical traps. It was Starswirl’s lab after all.”

“Sounds reasonable.” Sundae agreed in a neutral tone.

“Your talent is going to be useful here,” Ruby nuzzled her cheek. The still silent doctor furrowed his brows slightly at that display of affection.

“I’ve already checked everything,” Bright continued. “Your job is to look over it again just in case I missed something.”

“That’s simple enough,” Sundae nodded. “Give me half an hour to grab something to eat and I’ll be ready.”

“You’ve got it. Tell me when you’re done.” Bright waved his hoof dismissively.

For a second, the Doctor looked like he was about to say something, but in the end he remained silent. Sundae flicked her tail in annoyance. His passive-aggressive attitude towards her was getting on her nerves. She hadn’t done anything to deserve this.

The friends turned around and went to a campfire together. A bowl of hot water was already boiling over it. Sundae levitated the bowl to the ground, while Ruby took two cups from their saddlebags. They quickly made tea and soon were slowly sipping from it.

“Too bad we’ve run out of biscuits,” Ruby commented.

“And you always claim I’m the one who’s not ready for the wilderness,” Sunny smiled, taking another sip. “But I agree, it’s no fun to drink tea with nothing to munch on.”

“Yeah,” the other pony pouted for a moment. “But it doesn’t matter. Why are you so tense around the Doctor?”

“Because he hates me. It’s a long story…And I kind of don’t want to talk about it.” Sundae frowned.

“Oh, okay. I understand,” Ruby put a hoof on Sundae’s shoulder. “Anyway, I’m gonna help you with your task.”

“Help? But you don’t know magic,” the unicorn raised her eyebrows questioningly.

“But I do know the old ruins. Some magical traps can easily be missed by stuck-up unicorns like you,” Ruby said, teasingly poking at Sunny’s horn. She just rolled her eyes at that.

“It’s fine, I guess,” Sundae nodded. “I’m sure Bright won’t mind.”

“Why would he? It’s not like I have anything better to do while the gate is closed.”

“Right…”

They finished tea together and put the cups away. The camp ponies had started to wake up by that time. Once in a while somepony would crawl out of a tent to pour tea for themselves. Most of them looked grumpy and weary, despite the night’s sleep. They clearly needed more time to recover after yesterday’s march.

The friends quickly retreated from their place by the fire and went to find Bright. They found him at the same spot as before, but without the Doctor. He was reading some old-looking scroll, which he put away when he saw the ponies.

“Ah, you’re ready. Finally,” the white unicorn said in a slightly annoyed tone. “All you need is just to check out the gate. I’ve found no traps, but I don’t want to find out I was wrong when some poor pony loses their limb or something.” He noticed the mare’s horrified expression. “I have seen that happen before, you know.”

“We definitely don’t need anything like that here,” Nightfall Shade’s voice suddenly rang out from behind them. Sundae jumped – startled – and turned around, folding her ears. She didn’t hear him approach. The Doctor looked her in the eyes. “I can’t deal with such a mess again, so check everything carefully.”

Sundae just nodded nervously without saying a word. After that he lost interest in her and walked away, taking his loyal unicorn with him. Sundae relaxed as soon as he walked away. The mare wondered if they were telling the truth. She didn’t know anything about that. Although she hadn’t seen the Doctor for the past few years, so who knew what he was up to.

“He dislikes you,” Ruby stated after a few moments of silence.

“No, really?” Sunny answered sarcastically. “Come on, let’s check this damn gate.”

The pony turned to ascend the stairs, but her friend stopped her by grabbing Sundae by the shoulder.

“What’s the matter?” Sundae asked her.

“Wouldn’t you want to check the stairs first in case of traps?” Ruby suggested.

“Oh…” the unicorn blushed slightly. “You’re right, I forgot.”

“Don’t let the Doctor get to you, Sunny.” Ruby patted the pony on her back reassuringly.

Over the next few minutes, they were busy studying the stairs very thoroughly. Sundae’s horn was glowing constantly, casting various probing spells to reveal any possible traps, while her earth pony friend had been using her own senses and experience to find anything. They both came up empty in the end, confirming Morning Bright’s results. The mares repeated the same routine on the gate itself. It turned out to be just as safe as the stairs.

Sundae and Ruby stood in front of the heavy stone gate, studying it from up close. The thing didn’t have any visible way of opening it. Obviously, there had to be some kind of mechanism to slide it either up or down, but Sundae hadn’t seen any trigger yet.

“How will we get inside if we can’t figure out how to open that gate?” Sundae asked her friend.

“Can’t you unicorns just blast it open or something?”

“It’s the archeological find of the century!” Sundae exclaimed. “It was clearly built in the pre-Equestrian era and we know so little of that age! I wouldn’t blow it up even if I had the power to do so!”

“Relax, I’m just kidding,” Ruby chuckled. “So do you think it’s really the Starswirl’s lab? It looks pretty big.”

“I don’t know,” the unicorn admitted. “I thought we were gonna find an old shack or something, but it’s clearly something more. If it really is his lab, then he must have converted an old building for his purposes.”

“I agree. Even being the great unicorn that he was, he wouldn’t build something like that alone.” Ruby knocked on the stone surface for emphasis.

A low rumble suddenly came from the gate and startled both ponies. It trembled menacingly. The ponies fell on their haunches and watched with big eyes as the gate slowly started rising.

Author's Note:

The original name of the character had to be changed.

Comments

[PurpleSmart2]

Nice one, Katie. Now let’s wait for your fanfic to be read by other people.

[Marble Unicorn]

Great work! I have read it in one breath and waiting for the continuation of the story.

[alviniscute]

Very exciting. I like the pacing in this chapter. You have a good way of describing things. The exchanges between Sunglow and Ruby are really adorable. Ruby is a good friend ;3

[Nightfall Gloam]

Good job, Katie! ^^
My first fanfic I've read in a long time, kinda making me want to write my own!

[TheArcticWolf]

Why would so many ponies dislike this. Cause this story flows!

[DennisTheAwesomePony]

Awesome, Katie! I love it so far, I'm really excited to start reading next chapter soon!

[Detsella Morningdew]

The writing isn't a masterwork, but it's definitely engaging and enjoyable.

(That said, my writing isn't exactly better. I'm only saying there is room to improve. Personally, I think personalities are a higher priority to introduce, more than abilities or even names. And those are introduced well through events rather than explanation. That isn't to say that the introductions were bad, either.)

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Good opening. I'm definitely intrigued.